


...And I Get Up Again

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ice Skating, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-23 13:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9659429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: A fall during practise sees to it that Makoto won't be entering the ice skating regionals for this year. But fortunately he has someone to help him through his recovery.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Val_Creative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/gifts).



> Written for Val Creative as a pinch-hit fill for the the MakoHaru Valentines 2017 Exchange. Ice skating AU. I hope you don't mind that I've gone with a more general ice skating AU, since I'm not as familiar with YOI and in your prompts you said you were more interested in putting the Free! Characters in that kind of setting than using the YOI cast or character-matching YOI with the Free! Cast anyway.

If there was one aspect of Haru that Makoto was in equal parts in awe of and envious of it was his ability to pick up new skills so quickly. He seemed to be a natural at anything he tried. And by contrast, Makoto would always have to work much harder to achieve that level of skill. It wasn't that he minded the hard work as such, Makoto had always been the sort to devote himself when he did want to do something, it was just that... sometimes he wished he could pick things up as effortlessly as Haru could.

And that was what he was thinking about as Haru rushed over to him on the ice rink that day, even more so than the pain in his leg. Some good priorities he had.

But Haru wasn't wearing ice skates, he'd never even been out on the ice before and, as a rule, only came to watch Makoto practise. Yet right now, while he rushed over, Makoto could see it in his movements that he'd be good at this if only he gave it a try.

Haru had told him time and time again that he wasn't interested in trying though...

“Come on, let's get you out of here,” Haru muttered, as he pulled Makoto up and slung his arm over his shoulder. He didn't ask if Makoto was all right, because it was obvious that he wasn't. Haru was never the type to waste words.

“It's... not that bad... ahh!” Makoto hissed. The statement would have been more effective if he hadn't winced out in pain as he put pressure on his leg.

“It is,” Haru flatly replied.

There was no point in arguing further, so Makoto let Haru escort him off the ice. Once they were safely out, Makoto lowered himself down onto a seat, so Haru could take a look at his leg. It hurt a bit when Haru rolled up his trouser leg to get a better look and Makoto was instantly worried by the frown that Haru gave it.

“So... how is it?” he asked.

“It looks swollen, but that's as much as I can tell,” replied Haru. He might be good at many things, but he wasn't a doctor, “I'll go call for someone.”

“There probably isn't any need to make a fuss...” Makoto whined.

Haru merely stared at him. Then he turned and left, probably to fetch whoever was on the desk out the front. It was just like him to not humour Makoto when he said something as ridiculous as that, but all the same, Makoto felt bad for bothering people. Even when the receptionist came and after that the medics, Makoto was apologising for the hassle all the while. As he did this, Haru stood and watched him quietly in the background, concerned but not wanting to get in the way of those who could help Makoto.

Though when he was taken into hospital, Haru came with him and Makoto appreciated that.

***

“Looks like I won't be entering the regionals this year after all,” Makoto said. He tried to make light of this with a laugh, but he honestly didn't feel all that funny, “At least I can still support Rin from here, right? So there's that. It means we won't have to worry about friends competing against each other this year...”

He trailed off, because as much as he'd been trying to look on the bright side, he wasn't feeling it. Rin had wanted to compete against him and he knew that. Even if they were friends, being able to perform to the best of their abilities, to truly give each other the competition they deserved, that was what Rin strived for.

But more than that, the regionals were what Makoto had been training all this time for. To have it snatched away from him because of a silly slip-up in a practise session, because of his own stupid mistake, that stung even worse than the pain in his leg.

“No one blames you,” Haru said. He'd never been the best at dressing up words of comfort, but Makoto appreciated the blunt honesty, even if it wasn't getting through to him as well as Haru might have liked.

“That's not true, I blame myself,” Makoto replied.

“Then you shouldn't. Everyone makes mistakes,” insisted Haru.

Makoto stared up at him; “...Not you.”

“Of course I do,” Haru dismissed, “And when you're out on the ice it's much harder. You have to be careful every moment. I couldn't do it.”

“You could, you know? I can tell you'd be good at it if you gave it a try,” Makoto said.

“Maybe,” answered Haru, with a shrug, “But what I mean is that, even if I'd be good at it, the constant risk would stress me out. I can deal with it in the water, I feel in control there and I know how to respect it. But out on the ice... it'd be too much.”

“Ice is just frozen water,” Makoto teased. They'd had this discussion plenty of times before and it make him feel better to get back into familiar territory.

“It's different,” Haru stubbornly insisted.

“You keep saying so,” Makoto laughed, “Well, don't worry about it, Haru. I know that I can't force you. After all, you'd only be at your best if you did it because you absolutely wanted to.”

Like when you came out to help me, Makoto thought to himself, you didn't let your dislike of it hold you back then.

Haru fell silent after that. He stared off towards Makoto's leg, which was covered by a cast and propped up near the bottom of the bed. Since he knew that he wouldn't get any more out of him on that for now, Makoto changed the subject.

“Do the others know about it?” he said, with a nod towards his leg.

“Yes, I called them,” said Haru, “Nagisa and Rei are already on their way. They shouldn't take long. Gou said that she'd let Rin know, because I couldn't get through to him.”

“I hope I don't put them out too badly. Rin needs to be focusing on his own training, not worrying about me. And I know how much of a flap Nagisa and Rei can get into,” Makoto said.

“Stop worrying about putting other people out. Worry about yourself for once,” Haru told him.

“Maybe I just don't want to think about that...” Makoto trailed off.

Because as soon as he started thinking about himself, he'd grow angry about what he'd done. All that training... wasted. In his heart, he felt that he wasn't the best that he could be, he didn't feel that he could match up to Rin's level if he was out there, and yet that was exactly why he'd thrown himself into practising as much as he did. Every moment he could spare was devoted to trying to improve himself, making his height and muscle work for him, not against him, when he was on the ice. Even when he wasn't practising it was all he could think about. It mattered so much to him and now it was gone. He'd have to wait a full year for another shot...

He could tell that Haru didn't know what to say in response to that, but luckily for them both that was when Nagisa and Rei were led into the room. Makoto had to put on a brave face for them, they both did, so for the moment Makoto shelved his regrets and set about reassuring his two frantic friends.

***

Rin arrived the next day, because he'd had to travel further. It was hard to tell from his expression if he was disappointed or not, which made the whole situation harder. What was obvious enough was that he felt bad for Makoto. He ran a hand through his own hair and sighed.

“Man, you just have the worst luck... Sorry to see you like this, Makoto,” he said.

“Not as sorry as I am, I'm sure,” Makoto replied, “I was lucky that Haru was there to help me.”

“Yeah, and I'd bet he's hardly left your side since. I saw him on the way up here and he said he'd be through in a moment,” said Rin.

Makoto looked towards the door, though Haru hadn't got back yet; “I've told him that he doesn't have to stay, but he's insisting. I'm worried that he's going to end up living off vending machine food until I get out of this place.”

“I could try to drag him away if you want, though I bet he'd just come right back,” Rin said, with a shake of his head, “You should be glad that you have someone who cares about you as much as that.”

“...He'd be good at it if he tried. Ice skating, I mean,” Makoto mused. It was a comment that seemed to come from nowhere and changed the subject entirely, but it'd been on his mind and he knew that Rin was someone who he could talk about this with. Someone who knew both Haru and ice skating as well as Makoto did.

“Yeah, but he hates it. We've both chewed his ear off about it before and he's never changed his mind,” Rin dismissed, “And if anything's going to put him off further it'll be you getting injured.”

“I guess so...” Makoto trailed off.

It wasn't long after that when Haru joined them in the wardroom, having brought an armful of drinks and snacks from the machines by the entrance. Makoto appreciated it, since the food he'd been getting from the hospital was far from his favourite. All the time that he'd been training he'd kept himself on a strict diet, but seeing as he was in hospital recovering, he felt that he could let himself off and have one bar of chocolate.

Rin helped himself to the stash as well, cracking open a can of cola and downing it while Makoto talked to Haru. For a while, Rin kept quiet, which was unusual for him. When the three of them were together it tended to be Haru who'd do the least talking, but right now it felt as if Rin was... observing them. Makoto tried to tell himself that it wasn't anything like that and he shouldn't be so paranoid.

Then, after almost five minutes of this, Rin spoke up.

“You should ease yourself back onto the ice slowly while your leg heals. There's no way you're going to make the regionals now anyway, so don't rush yourself. Just do it at your own pace,” he said.

There was a nod of approval from Haru. And as much as Makoto felt frustrated inside, because he wanted to get back on form as soon as possible, he knew that they were both right.

“I will,” he promised.

“Of course, it'd be easier if you had someone to help you along,” Rin went on, “If I make it through the regionals – and let's face it, I will – then I'm going to be away for a while. I'm probably going to take Gou and Ai with me, since it'll be good for them to see what it's all like before they get thrown into it next year. That doesn't leave you with many other options, since none of your other friends in Iwatobi ice skate.”

“Well, I'm sure I'll manage...” mumbled Makoto. If Rin's speech had supposed to be motivating him then it was having the opposite effect.

“That is... unless one of them takes it up to help you out,” Rin suggested. He gave a pointed look towards Haru.

“No,” Haru muttered.

“Okay, maybe not you, Haru. There's always Rei or Nagisa, I guess,” replied Rin.

“That... wouldn't go well,” Haru stated.

As much as Makoto liked both of them, he couldn't help but agree with Haru. They were two very energetic souls, who were prone to flailing about as soon as they got flustered. That kind of attitude wasn't the best when you were out on the ice. Makoto knew that from his own experiences and how he'd had to curb his own habit of getting worked up easily. If Rei and Nagisa did take up ice skating, then they'd need to be taught properly first and Makoto was in no condition to teach them. And besides, Haru probably wouldn't appreciate losing them from his swim team.

“What other options does he have then? It's either one of you three or call a friend from out of town to stay for a while,” Rin pointed out.

“I'll manage on my own,” assured Makoto, “No one needs to put themselves out for me.”

“...I'll do it,” Haru said, loudly and clearly, “I'll help you.”

Makoto stared at him in disbelief. Whereas Rin just smirked. He'd known that Haru would take the bait, because he knew them both so well. And surely tricking Haru wasn't that bad when it meant helping a friend, although Rin was sure that Makoto would disagree with him.

***

It was a long two months before Makoto was able to go back to the ice rink. Even after he'd been discharged from the hospital, he'd been advised to take plenty of rest before he thought about trying ice skating again. His family had been diligent about making sure he stuck to that.

But they knew that they couldn't keep him away forever, so eventually they'd agreed to let him go back, feeling better that Haru was there to keep an eye on him.

As much as missing out on the regionals had hit Makoto hard, he knew now that Rin was right. It was less of a pressure to get this done quickly, because he now had plenty of time until the next one. And at least he could be content in the knowledge that one of the Iwatobi skaters had made it through to the nationals. Makoto had every faith that Rin would do well.

When Haru walked over to greet him, a guilty part of Makoto decided that there was one good thing to have come from all of this – Haru looked great in the ice skating gear. Which was a horrible thing to think, because he could tell that Haru wasn't the most comfortable in this outfit. If it was up to Haru, then he'd probably wear his swim shorts everywhere, but they just weren't appropriate for ice skating. He needed something that would provide more protection, which Makoto had insisted on after what had happened to him. In true Haru style he'd kept it simple and black, though Makoto had noted that he'd somehow found an outfit that had his familiar purple stripe down each side. Haru would always be Haru.

“You look... um, g-good...” Makoto mumbled. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Thanks,” Haru replied, indifferent as always, “...Shall we?”

He held a hand out and Makoto hesitated for more reasons that just his nerves about getting back onto the ice after his fall. But he took the hand, because he knew that he was safe with Haru.

The two of them make their way out to the centre of the ice and to Makoto's surprise, Haru wasn't great at it. He was shaky and clung tightly to Makoto's arm, which made Makoto thankful that he was strong enough to hold Haru's weight, just in case he did slip. It was a complete contrast to the day that Makoto had fallen, when Haru had been out there in an instant without any trace of hesitation.

“You all right?” Makoto checked.

“Yes...” whispered Haru. It was obvious that he wasn't.

“Haru, you don't have to do this. I appreciate you coming out here for me, but honestly, I'll be fine,” Makoto assured him.

“I want to do this...” Haru pressed.

“If you're sure. Just keep a hold of me and you'll be fine,” Makoto said.

He was grateful that Haru wanted to be out here with him, that he'd put himself outside of his comfort-zone for Makoto's sake. And knowing this, Makoto vowed to himself that he wouldn't let Haru down. They did a few laps around the rink together, never letting go the whole time. Haru grew steadier as they went, but he was still clearly nervous enough that Makoto kept it slow.

It was odd, Makoto thought. In his mind, whenever he imagined ice skating with Haru, he'd always pegged Haru as being a natural, that he'd become almost as good as Rin was without even trying and that Makoto would be the one who'd end up struggling to keep up with the both of them. Certainly Haru's expertise in other fields lent themselves to Makoto having this belief. And yet, now that they were out here like this, Makoto felt bad for not realising that it would end up this way - that Haru would be nervous and out of his element. The fact that he wanted to do this for Makoto despite that was heart-warming.

“We can stop now, if you want,” he suggested, after their fifth lap around the rink.

“No, let's keep going...” Haru replied.

“You know, don't take this the wrong way, but you managed pretty well that day when I fell,” said Makoto.

“That was different... I wasn't even thinking then, I just wanted to help you get off the ice,” replied Haru, as the two of them turned to begin their sixth lap.

“Maybe you could try that now? Don't think so much about it and just do it,” Makoto encouraged.

“But you always tell me that you need to respect how dangerous this can be... Not paying attention would be the worst idea,” argued Haru.

“Yes, you should respect the ice, but that doesn't mean you have to fear it. Come on, give this a try,” Makoto replied.

With that, he pulled away from Haru. There was a slight tug as Haru tried to pull him back, but Makoto was stronger. He skated a little further ahead and then turned back to face Haru, who was staring at him dumbfounded.

“Come on,” Makoto called over.

Haru mustered up his courage and pressed ahead. He had to hold out wobbly arms for balance, but he made it. And when he did, he all but bowled into Makoto, who grabbed hold of him and spun them both around to steady them. When they slowed to a stop, he realised that Haru was looking up at him in awe. It was an expression that he'd not seen on Haru's face before and it made him feel giddy to know that it was directed towards him.

“S-see, it's not so bad...” Makoto said, swallowing his nerves at the attention he was getting, “You did really well.”

“I looked stupid...” Haru grumbled. Now the awed expression was replaced with annoyance.

“No, you didn't. You definitely didn't,” insisted Makoto, “Remember that time when I first went swimming with you and I was awful at it? Did you think I looked stupid then?”

“Of course not. You were trying so hard. Everyone struggles at first,” Haru assured him.

“Well, that's how I feel right now. I think you... you looked beautiful, because I could tell you were trying,” said Makoto.

Haru seemed embarrassed and he ducked his face down to stare at the ice. Then he sighed loudly.

“This was supposed to be me helping you, not you helping me...” he murmured.

“And this has helped me,” promised Makoto, “Maybe if I was to give you lessons once I've recovered it'd help both of us. But, um, I don't want you to think that I'm pressuring you! If you don't want to then I'll understand...”

“No, I want to,” Haru replied. He looked back up at Makoto now, “Once in a while wouldn't hurt, right? As long as I still have time to swim and you still have time for your own training. I don't want you to always have to babysit me out here.”

“Get better and then I won't have to babysit you,” Makoto teased.

He spat his tongue out at Haru and then let go of him, pulling away once more. This time he didn't have to prompt Haru to follow, he could already hear his blades against the ice right behind him. Makoto smiled to himself. This was the start of something wonderful...

***

There was no question that Haru was going to watch Rin's performance at the nationals, because if one of his friends were on TV, then Haru would want to show them his support. But Makoto noted that when Haru watched now, he seemed to be properly into it, not just out of support for a friend. He squeezed Makoto's hand at each of the jumps, taken in by the thrill. And every time Rin landed flawlessly. Makoto was proud of him.

“If he doesn't score highly then I'll go there and tell the judges a thing or two myself,” Makoto said, once Rin's performance had come to an end.

“He'll do fine,” Haru said.

Sure enough, they were right. Rin's scores were nothing to be sniffed at, though he was still up against some stiff competition before he could take the title of best in Japan. They just had to hope that he could do it and then he might be off to perform on the world stage...

“That could have been you,” Haru added, once Rin had left the ice rink and the next skater came out to replace him.

“Maybe, but I still think Rin would have beaten me at the regionals if I'd gone in this year,” Makoto replied, “I had a lot of doubts in myself.”

“Do you still now?” asked Haru, looking away from the screen and up at Makoto.

“No, not now. And I have you to thank for that,” Makoto hummed.

“You have yourself to thank more,” dismissed Haru.

“Let me thank whoever I want to thank,” Makoto scolded.

With that, he leaned over to kiss Haru lightly, which Haru definitely didn't object to. He returned the affection, warmly and lovingly. As the two of them pulled away, Makoto rubbed their noses together.

This definitely was the start of something wonderful.


End file.
